Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) account for about 40% of the essential amino acids in healthy subjects and must be acquired through a well-balanced diet. Branched-chain amino acids are toxic in excess but are required for protein synthesis. The normal plasma levels in children for isoleucine, leucine, and valine, range from 37 to 40 μmol/L, 70 to 170 μmol/L, and 160 to 350 μmol/L, respectively. In adults, the normal plasma levels for isoleucine, leucine, and valine are 42 to 100 μmol/L, 66 to 170 μmol/L, and 150 to 310 μmol/L, respectively. The BCAAs have important physiologic functions in addition to their role as protein precursors. In peripheral tissues such as skeletal muscle, BCAAs are nitrogen donors for the synthesis of alanine and glutamine, thus moving nitrogen derived from muscle amino acid oxidation to the liver for urea synthesis. In addition, leucine acts as an anabolic nutrient signal influencing both insulin secretion by the β-cells of the pancreas and protein synthesis in skeletal muscle and some other tissues. In order to balance the body's need for BCAAs with the supply of BCAAs from the diet, the BCAA catabolic pathway is tightly regulated. The catabolic pathways of BCAAs have two common steps. The first is a reversible deamination catalyzed by vitamin-B6-dependent branched-chain aminotransferase (BCATs) to produce the corresponding branched-chain α-keto acid (BCKAs). The second is the irreversible oxidative decarboxylation of the BCKAs, accomplished in a large part by control of the activity of the branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC).
Deregulation of branched chain amino acid catabolism leads to an inborn error of metabolism in newborns known as maple syrup urine disease (MSUD). MSUD, also called branched-chain ketoaciduria, is an autosomal recessive disorder, typically diagnosed shortly after birth. It is caused by defects in BCKDC. The defect thus results in an accumulation of the BCAAs, namely, leucine, valine, isoleucine, and their respective α-keto acids (α-ketoisocaproate, α-ketoisovalerate, and α-keto-β-methylvalarate) in cells and body fluids. Accumulation of these three amino acids and their corresponding keto acids leads to encephalopathy and progressive neurodegeneration in untreated individuals.
The present invention addresses a long-felt need for therapies that are effective in regulating the BCAA catabolism, such as in MSUD, that can be used independently or in conjunction with dietary compliance.